Coupling and draft-yoke connection



E. GEORGE, 1R. COUPLINGANID DRAFTYOKEICONNECTION.

APPLIQATION HLEQ JUNE 4, I920.

' Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHE.ET 1.

r E. GEORGE, 1R. COUPLING AND'DRAFT YOKE'CONNEC TION.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4, I920.

Patented D e0. 28, 1920. ETSIS H EET 2.

' 2 SHE =N w m x. m M v extended lateral swinging movements with UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

ENOCH GEORGE, m1, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, Ass'IoNon To THE McCONWAY & TORLEY ooM ANY, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION or PENNSYLVANIA.

To all whom it may cancer n:

Be it known that I, ENOCH GnoRGE, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh-in thecounty of Allegheny and {TY-State of Pennsylvania, have invented cers tain new and useful Improvements unliou- 'ddhereby declare the following t'ob'eT ooUPrING' AND DRAFT-YOKE CONNECTION.-

Specification of Letters Patent. P f t 1920. v ,App1ication filed June 4, 1920? Serial No. 386,606.

Fig. 3 is averti a1 section onthe line 33,.Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is'a' Fig.2. V a F1g. 5 is. a detail-=view showing in front elevation a convenient means fgr retaining 'andDr ft Yoke' Connections; and I the downwardly removable connecting pin fuil 'nrassembled position.

eleanand exacndescription of the inyeiiiiiplgiil'ntr he drawings, '1 is the stem of a car "suchas wi'lh'fiable others skilled in the'art icoirpler,

to which it appertains to make and use the same. v

My invention relates to a, coupler and dra-ft yoke connection for 'the draft appliances of railway vehicles, and has for its object to provide means whereby a coupler which is not primarily designed to-be pivotally attached to a draft yoke may be pivotallyconnected thereto in a strong, durable and eflicient manner so as to be capable of respect to the yoke.

Generally of the invention, both in respect to basic combinations of elements and. preferred structural details, may be said to reside in the combination of a coupler having a stem, a yoke provided with arms adapted to receive a cushioning unit between them and having a plurality, of spaced apertured lugs at its forward end,-and a-member intermeidiate of and connected to the coupler stem and yoke, the intermediate member being provided at itsrear end with spaced lugs which mesh with the spaced lugs upon the forward end of the yoke, the said lugs ofthe intermediate member being provided with alined apertures inwhich are respectively mounted circular pivot bushings havpm of polygonal cross section which extends I through corresponding openings in the yoke lugs and through the holes in the bushings being employed to prevent the latter from rotating with respect to the yoke and pin..

Inthe drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention, the scope stated, the principal features ing polygonal openings therethrough, and-a,

termediate member through the intervention of which the connection of the coupler stem 1 with the draft yoke 52 is effected.

As a means for cooperating with the usual cushloning unit (not shown), the yoke 2 is preferably providedfwith the well known vertically alined parallel arms 4: which are rlgidly connected at their rear ends, and-between which the cushioning unit is received. The yoke arms 4: are integrally united at their forward ends by a transverselyextending tie 5 which is adapted to engage the z ntal section on the line 2 is a draft yoke, and 3' is the'ins,

forward end' of the cushioning unit and to communicate bufling shocks-to the"latter. The transversely extending tie 5 also integrally units the spaced lugs 6 with which the yoke 2 is provided at its forward end.

These lugs are provided with alined apertures 7 which are preferablyof'non-circular or polygonal contour and, as shown, may advantageously be of square or rectangular form. I It is also preferred integrally to unite the lugs 6 in advance of the tie member 5 by means of vertically extending side walls& To allow for the pivotal movement of the intermediate member 3, as well as to permit the latter to deliver bufling shocks directly to the yoke, it is preferred to form theinner faces 9 of the side walls 8 and to form the forward .face 10 of the transverse tie 5 as cylindrical surfaces whose axis of curvature corresponds or substantially corresponds to the pivotal axis of the intermediate member 3 to which the stem 1 of the car coupler is secured. v

The intermediate member 3 is provided at its rear'end with a pair of spaced pivot lugs 11 having circularly curved rear ends which correspond to the curvature of the inner faces 9 of the sidewalls 8 of the yoke and also to that of the forward face 10 of the transverse tie 5.' Each of the pivot lugs 11- is provided with a circular opening 12 in which fits a corresponding circular bushing coupler stem ,and in conjunction with the adjacent portions of the arms 16 of the 1n- 18. Each of these bushings has an aperture 14 corresponding in form to the apertures -7 in the lugs 6 at the forward end of the draft yoke, the several apertures 7 and 14 illustrated in the drawings being shown as nected. For the purposeof connecting, the coupler stem to the intermediate member it is preferred to provide the arms 16 of the latter with horizontally alined slots 17 corresponding to a transversely extending key slot 18 in the coupler stem 1 near therear end thereof and to pass a key 19 throughthe said-slots. Cotters 20 extending through the key 19 outside of the arms 16 of the intermediate member 3 afford a simple means for retaining the. key in assembled position. At their inner ends the slotted arms 16 are integrally united by transversely extending webs 21 which overlap the rear end of the termediate member form a socket for the reception of the rear end of the coupler in causing bufling shocks to be unequallydistributed tothe intermediate member 3,

the latter is preferably provided at the rear end of the socket formed by the arms 16 and Webs 21 with a convexly curved face 22, thus insuring against the possibility of the rear end of the coupler stem localizing the bufiing shocks at a point removed from the longitudinal axis of the intermediate member.

A suitable means .for maintaining the downwardly removable pin 15 in assembled relation consists'in forming upon the underside of the yoke 2 a plurality of perforated spaced lugs 23*and 24, respectively, the lower end of the pin 15 being adapted to extend between the lugs 23,-and the lug 24 being provided with an elongated slot 25 permitting the passage-of the bent end 26 of a bar or rod 27 which passes through the perforations in'the lugs 23 and through a corresponding perforation in the pin 15. -As will be readilv understood,'the locking bar 27 is placed in assembled-position by turning it until its bent end 26 will pass through the slot 25 in the lug 24, after which it may be passed through said lug 24 and the aperturesin thelugs 23 and pin 25, and its bent end 26 allowed to swing vertically downward so as tostand between the guard lug 24 and the adjacent. lug 23.

In assembling the device the pivotbushings 13 are inserted in the apertures 12 of the pivot lugs 11 and the latter are then v for resisting the wear due tothe pivotal movement of the couplerwith respect to the. yoke, the pin which connects the intermediate member to .the yoke is prevented from being weakened by wear, and the use of pivot bushings, while aflording largewear- .ing surface, 'stifien the pivot lugs ofthe i'intermediate member against distortion incident tothe transmission of heavy bufiing shocks directly to the transversely extending tie member 5 at. the forward endof the cushioning unit. v

.I claim' i- Q v 1. in a coupler and yoke connection, the '90 comblnation with a coupler having a stem, of a yoke, a member intermediate of and. connected to said coupler stem and yoke, said intermediate member having rigidly united portions adapted to receive the rear end of said coupler stem between them and being provided witha pluralityfofrigidly connected spaced lugs having alined apertures rearwardly of'thecoupler. stem, and said yoke being provided at its forward end with a plurality -of spaced apertured" lugs be-- tween adjacent ones of which thesaid lugs of the intermediate member respectively ex tend, means extending into saidapert es of said lugs for pivotally connecting'- sa1 dintermediate member and yoke,"said mean's1;involving bushings r'evolubly mounted in some of. saidlugs, and means for connecting-said intermediate member to the couplerlfl i 2. In a coupler and yoke'connection,1 the;110

combination with a coupler havi'ng a stem," of ayoke havin arms adapted to receive-a cushloning unit etween them, a member intermediate of and connected to said coupler stem and yoke, said intermediate .member being provided at its rear end with spaced pivot lugs havlng alined apertures therein,

Said yoke bing P vided at its forward end with a plurality of spaced lugs having apertures therein, circular pivot bushings mount ed in the respective apertures of'the lugs of said intermediate member and maintained inspaced relation by one of said lugs of said yoke, a pin extending into the apertures of said lugs on the yoke and intermediate member and through said bushings, and means for connecting said intermediate member to said coupler stem. 3. In a coupler and yoke connection, the

combination with a coupler having a stem,

of a y0ke,-a member intermediate pf said coupler and yoke, means for connecting said intermediate member to'the stem of said.

coupler, and means for pivotally connecting said intermediate member to said yoke, said last named means involving overlapping apertured lugs formed on the members to be connected,'the.apertures in alternate overlapping lugs being circular and non-circular, respectively, each of said circular apertures being provided With a circular bushlng having a non-circular opening therein, and apin of non-circular cross section extending into the non-circular apertures of the lugs and the aperture of each turesof the pivot lugs of said intermediate member, a polygonal pin extendiiig through the apertures of said lugsof the yoke and through said pivot bushings, and means for connecting said intermediate member to the stem of said coupler.

5. In a coupler and yoke connection, the combination with a coupler having a stem, of

a yoke, and means for pivotally connecting said coupler and yoke, said means involving overlapping apertured lugs some of which are rigid with the yoke, pivot bushings journaled in aplurality of said lugs andhaving non-circular apertures therein, and a pin of non-circular cross section extending into the said apertures of the said lugs and pivot bushings. v

' 6. In a coupler and yoke connection, the combination of a coupler member and a yoke member each having perforated lugs, the perforations in the lugs of one of said m'embers being circular and those in the other non-circular, said lugs being adapted to overlap, bushings for the circular. openings of said lugs, said bushings having non-circular openings therein, and a non-circular pin for connecting the members. y 4

7. In a coupler and yoke connection, the combination with a coupler having a stem,

of a yoke, a member intermediate of and connected to said coupler stem and yoke,

means for pivotally connecting said intermediate member to said yoke, and means for connecting said intermediate member to said coupler stem, said intermediate member being provided with a socket adapted to receive the rear end of said coupler stem, and said socket being formed at its inner end with a convexly. curved face extending behind said coupler stem'.

In testimony whereof I aflix'my signature.

ENOOH GEORGE, JR. 

